Internal-combustion engine.



W. A. GIFFORD. INTERNAL GOMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 6, 1911.

Patented June 16, 1914,

Juumtnr COLUMBIA PLANOGRMH co.,WAsmNaToN, D. c.

umrnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM ARTHUR GIFFORD, OF LANSING, MICHIGAN.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM ARTHUR Glrronn, citizen of the United States, residing at Lansing, county of Ingham, State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Internal-Combustion Engines, and declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to internal combustion engines and an object of my improvement is to provide an improved apparatus for controlling the speed and ignition of a four-cycle engine. I attain this object in the device illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1, is an elevation of an apparatus embodying my invention and so much of an internal combustion engine as is necessary to illustrate its connection therewith. Fig. 2, is a detail plan view.

2, indicatesa portion of the cylinder of the engine, 3, the crank shaft, 4 the crank and 5 the connecting rod. 6, is the exhaust valve, and 7 is a spring acting to hold the exhaust valve normally to its seat. The above are all of ordinary construction and therefore require no further detail description.

8, is an eccentric upon the shaft 3, and 9 is an eccentric strap.

10, is the eccentric rod pivoted at 11 to a slide 12 adapted to reciprocate in stationary bearings 13, 13. An end of the slide 12 is enlarged and is cut away,.as indicated at 14, 14 (Fig. 2) at its enlarged left hand end. The shoulder formed by cutting away the enlarged end of the slide 12 is adapted to the arc of a circle, as shown at A, A (Fig. 1) for a purpose hereinafter described.

15, is a shaft adapted to turn in a bearing in the slide 12 concentric with the shoulder formed by cutting away the enlarged end of said slide.

16, is aprism on one end of the shaft 151, and 18 is a ratchet wheel upon the other end of said shaft.

17, is a wheel provided with notches extending inwardly from its periphery and equally spaced around the same.

19, is a stationary pin, and 20 is a two armed lever pivoted upon the pin 19.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 6, 1911.

Patented June 16, 1914. Serial No. 658,678.

21, is a tooth or catch, secured to the left hand end of the lever 20.

22, is a collar upon the valve stem 6 with which collar the catch 21 is adapted to engage to hold the valve stem 6 backward and to hold the exhaust valve open.

23, is small stationary pin below the right hand arm of the lever 20.

24, is a rod pivoted to the pin 23 and extending vertically upward through the aperture in the lever 20. The upper end of the rod 24 is screw threaded.

25, is a nut having internal screw threads engaging the screw threads upon the rod 24.

26, is a spring interposed between the lever 20 and the nut 25. This spring bears at one end against said nut and at the other end presses the right hand arm of the lever 20 downward. The tension of the spring 26 may be adjusted by turning the nut 25.

27, is a pawl secured to the right hand end of the lever 20 and having a tooth at its outer end adapted to engage the teeth of the ratchet wheel 18.

41, (Fig. 2) is a leaf spring interposed between the ratohet 18 and the surface of the slide 12. This spring produces a friction which will prevent the shaft 15 from turning beyond the place to which it is forced.

The prism 16 is formed so as to present corners which project beyond the remainder of the periphery of said prism. The ratchet wheel 15 has twice as many teeth as the wheel 17 has slots, and the prism 16 has as many corners as the wheel 17 has slots.

28, is a pin extending laterally from the slide 12.

29, is a pendulum weight below the pin 28 and pivoted to said pin. The pendulum weight 29 is provided with a shoulder 29 adapted to strike against the lower side of the slide 12 to prevent said pendulum from turning beyond a perpendicular toward the right, as shown in the drawings.

30, is an arm connected with the pendulum weight 29 and extending upward above the pivotpin 28 then horizontally so as to come under the right hand arm of the lever 20 when the slide 12 is in the left hand portion of its travel. The ratchet wheel 15 is so arranged that when the slide 12 moves toward the right it is normallv engaged by the pawl 27, and turned forward carrying with it the shaft 15, wheel 17 and prism 16 the space of one tooth, presenting either a slot in the wheel 7 in line with the valve stem 6, or at each alternate movement, the rim of said wheel between two slots is presented to strike against the end of said valve stem. lVhen one of said slots is in line with the valve stem, the latter enters such slot and is not actuated by the motion of the slide 12. When the periphery of the wheel between the two slots is presented to said valve stem, the valve stem is pushed backward opening the exhaust valve which is reseated again when the slide is retracted. In the form shown the jump-spark system of ignition is used.

31, 32 are blocks of insulating fiber secured to the engine frame.

33, is a flat spring secured to the top of the block 31 and having at its right end a short upwardly projecting portion 10. One wire of the primary circuit is secured at 34: to the spring 33. The rise 40 in the spring 33 is in the line of travel of the lower part of the prism 16 when a corner of said prism is downward. As shown in Fig. 1, the spring 33 is contacted by said prism to put said spring into electrical connection with the engine frame when the slide 12 is in position to bring such corner above said portion of the spring 33. The prism 16 is in position to contact the spring 33 when a slot of the Wheel 17 is in line with the valve stem 6. When the ratchet wheel 18 is turned one tooth, the fiat portion between two corners of the prism 16 is downward and said prism then passes over the spring 33 without making contact therewith.

36, is a leaf spring secured to the insulating block 32. One wire of the primary circuit is connected to the spring 36 at 35. The

ing 36 extends vertically in a plane adjacent to that in which the connecting rod 10 oscillates and said spring is provided with a lug 37 extending over said connecting rod and adapted to be contacted by the same when said connecting rod is toward its highest position.

:30, is a flat spring secured to the stationl:earings 13, 13 and extending over the arm 36 of the pendulum 29 and in contact with said arm when said arm is withdrawn from under the right hand arm of the lever 20. The object of said rod is to prevent the pendulum 29 from oscillating to too great an extent.

The operation of the above described device is as follows: When the piston is on its compression stroke a slot in the wheel 17 is in line with the exhaust valve stem 6 which enters said slot, and said valve is not actuated by the reciprocation of the slide 12. When said slide is returned the pawl 27, n ormally acts upon the ratchet wheel 18 to turn the wheel 17 into such a position that its periphery between two slots shall be in line with the exhaust valve stem 6 so that said stem shall be actuated by the slide 12 and the exhaust valve opened, on the return stroke of the piston. On the next stroke of the piston to the right the ratchet 18 is again turned bringing a slot in the wheel 17 in line with the stem 6 of the exhaust valve and drawing an explosive mixture, or charge, into the cylinder in the usual way through the inlet valve, which may be automatic, and on the return stroke to the left, such charge is compressed, thus completing the cycle. Should the engine exceed a predetermined speed the pendulum 29 will lag behind the slide 12 at the commencement of its return from the left hand end of its stroke with sufiicient force to cause the arm 30 to contact the right hand arm of the lever 20, raising said arm of said lever and tilting the pawl 27 out of its engaging position so that on this motion of the slide 12 toward the right the ratchet wheel 18 will not be turned and the periphery of the wheel 17 between two slots will remain in line with the stem 6 of the exhaust valve so that the exhaust valve will be struck on the next reciprocation of the slide 12 toward the left, as shown in the drawings thus releasing the engagement between the valve stem and lever 20. The lifting of the left hand arm of the lever 20, as above described, will always occur on the stroke following the explosion or working stroke of the engine. hen the lever 20 is oscillated by the arm 30, actuated by the pendulum 29, as above described, its left hand end is forced down so that the catch 21 shall engage the stem 6 of the exhaust valve at to hold the valve in an open position.

To secure a complete circuit through the primary with the above described device, contact must be made in two places, that is to say, the spring 33 and 36 must both be in electrical connection with the frame of the engine. The part 40 of the spring 33 is so located that it shall be in contact with the prism 16 toward the end of the stroke of the slide 12 twice in two revolutions. The prism passes over and out of contact with said portion of the spring The spring 36 is in contact with the connecting rod 10 only when said connecting rod is at its highest position, consequently but one spark takes place in the cylinder in two revolutions of the main shaft 3.

The shoulder A, A is so formed that the periphery of the wheel 17 is moved against it so that the pressure of the exhaust valve stem on said wheel may be taken up by said shoulder.

The speed of the engine may be adjusted by regulating the tension of the spring 26.

lVhat I claim is 1. In an internal combustion engine, having a valve, a notched wheel, means for reciprocating said wheel to actuate said valve,

a ratchet wheel connected with said notched Wheel so as to turn the same, a pivoted pawl adapted to engage said ratchet wheel to turn the same when said wheel is reciprocated, and a pendulum governor connected to reciprocate with said notched wheel and adapted to lift said pawl to prevent the engagement thereof with said ratchet wheel when the engine shall exceed a given speed.

2. In an internal combustion engine, having a valve, a notched wheel adapted to actuate said valve, means for reciprocating said wheel, a pawl and ratchet mechanism adapted to rotate said wheel when the same is reciprocated, a pendulum connected with said wheel so as to be reciprocated therewith, means whereby the rocking of said pendulum shall disengage the pawl of said pawl and ratchet mechanism, a spring tending to engage the pawl of said pawl and ratchet mechanism, and means for adjusting the tension of said spring.

8. In apparatus for operating a valve, the combination of a slide 12 cut away at its tuate said valve, means for reciprocating said wheel, a pawl and ratchet mechanism adapted to rotate said wheel when the same is reciprocated, a pendulum connected with said wheel so as to be reciprocated therewith, means whereby the rocking of said pendulum shall disengage said pawl of said pawl and ratchet mechanism, a catch upon said valve, said pawl being adapted to engage said catch when in its disengaged position.

In testimony whereof, I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM ARTHUR GIFFORD. Witnesses:

LOTTA LEE BRAY, ELLIOTT J. STODDARD.

Copie: of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of :Patents, Washington, D. C. 

